Posted on 03/08/2009 8:02:43 AM PDT by FreeManN
The Republicans' Bizarre New Strategy Dan Gerstein, 03.04.09, 12:00 AM EST Instead of trying to out-Bush Bush, they should outsmart Obama.
Ever since last fall's deck-shuffling election, the strategist in me has been very curious to see what the Republicans would do both to repair the damage the Bush presidency had done to their brand and to reposition their party to compete in a radically different political environment. In particular, I wondered how would they win back the trust of the sensible center that thoroughly repudiated their governing approach in November.
Well, just six weeks after the official start of the Obama era, the results of the GOP's deep soul search seem to be in, and Republican leaders have more than lived up to their promise to think outside the box. Indeed, I doubt anyone outside Rush Limbaugh's reach would have ever guessed that the right's strategy for countering Obama--and ultimately escaping the minority wilderness--would be to out-Bush Bush.
...The cumulative upshot of a month's worth of coordinated Republican attacks on Obama's stimulus plan, Bobby Jindal's widely-ridiculed response to the president's address to Congress and the lock-stepped echoes heard at last week's Conservative Political Action Conference. The economic climate may have dramatically changed, as have voter attitudes about government's role, but the GOP formula has stayed almost exactly the same...
(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...
Exactly. Basic Assumption: A Democrat would want to see a failing Republican party. Therefore, what would be the goal of a Democrat criticizing Republican strategy? Would he really want to see Republican strategy improve, become more successful? Of course not. That would be like us wanting to see Obama's socialistic policies implemented. So when I see a Democrat giving the Republican party "advice" I turn the page.
I would say Bush’s biggest failure was they closed door behind the scenes Shamnesty Bill debacle.
Conservative Republicans need to stick to their principals and scream them from the roof tops. I tired of so called Republicans preaching this BS.
“You left out amnesty, China policy, and general apathy in the face of democrat idiocy.”
Again I appreciate and approve of Bush’s War on Terror but he should not have stopped at Baghdad. That was just like FDR stopping at West Berlin. The Sheiks of Saudi Arabia duped Bush just like Stalin duped FDR.
General Patton had the right idea. You don’t start a War unless you intend to finish it. Neither of the Presidents Bush were good finishers.
Obama’s ratings are down from 69% to 56%, the worst “honeymoon” period for any elected president since polls were invented. The Democrats’ lead in the generic Congressional polls are down from nine points to one or two, with the GOP base energized an dlikely to come out in strong numbers. I fully expect the GOP to take back the House in 2010. And this idiot thinks it’s bizarre that the the GOP strategy isn’t to simply roll over?
The politically disastrous elements of the Bush strategy weren’t being too much like Rush Limbaugh; it was the unrelenting promotion of illegal immigration in the face of exasperated, angry and overwhelmign opposition, political correctness guiding domestic policy, and allowing Ted Kennedy to rule America.
Obama’s ratings are down from 69% to 56%, the worst “honeymoon” period for any elected president since polls were invented. The Democrats’ lead in the generic Congressional polls are down from nine points to one or two, with the GOP base energized an dlikely to come out in strong numbers. I fully expect the GOP to take back the House in 2010. And this idiot thinks it’s bizarre that the the GOP strategy isn’t to simply roll over?
The politically disastrous elements of the Bush strategy weren’t being too much like Rush Limbaugh; it was the unrelenting promotion of illegal immigration in the face of exasperated, angry and overwhelmign opposition, political correctness guiding domestic policy, and allowing Ted Kennedy to rule America.
Well, Dan, you seem to have made all the calculations regarding where the Republicans went wrong and where they continue to go wrong. So tell us, Dan, what do you BELIEVE in. I don’t want to hear your political calculations so that we can appeal to this group or that group. What do you BELIEVE in. McCain’s nomination was the product of a political calculation (and the dumbest primary election system ever conceived). McCain was supposed to allow us to reach across the aisle to capture disaffected Democrats and at the same time attract the moderate among our electorate to our cause. Guess what, McCain’s candidacy had no discernible cause. He appeared to stand for everything and thus stood for nothing sort of like the Republican party today. He was all over the map trying to appeal to this one and that one. His futile attempt to carve a message without a guiding philosophy (uh, conservatism) trapped him in a plethora of inconsistencies. He looked shaky and unbalanced and while not requiring a teleprompter 24/7, 365 he managed to alienate the very groups he was trying to attract and appeared to be operating from a different playbook than his vice presidential nominee who pretty consistently, but not always, operated from a set of conservative principles.
You guys who keep telling us that we have to moderate our beliefs to win, have it all wrong. Moderation is a loser. When we moderate we appear to stand for nothing or at least sound like the other side only lite. Principled politics is a winner. The liberals can’t do it because if their underlying principles were expressed publicly it would become very clear, very fast that they are socialists, thus the teleprompters and the euphamisms.
Moderation also means breaking the electorate in sub-categories and then promising these sub-categories things like money, public works projects, and jobs in return for their support. The Democratic party has something like 10 tribes that all must be coddled. There’s the trial bar, teachers unions, other unions, black race hustlers, Hispanic race hustlers, gay/lesbian etc alliances, abortion/women’s groups, illegal immigration proponents, environmental hoaxists, pornographers, the media (the same?), Hollywood (same, again?)and I’m sure many others. Where do you think all of those hyphenated Americans came from and why? You want us to go there?
Rush recently argued against policy “wonkism” on the part of the Republican party as opposed to getting “first principles” clear and communicated. I think this is what he was talking about. So, Dan, put the calculations aside for a moment and articulate your first principles because, to paraphrase, “If you stand for everything you stand for nothing.”
The reason he thinks he’s credible is he’s echoing the GOP establishment.
You're right. Even most of the “spending” that Conservatives disliked wasn't his doing when Congress went Democrat in 2006. Before that you had (2001) 911 and the need for massive spending on Iraq (2003) both to help them and retool our armed forces.
Bush was a good President, one that acted on what he knew was the “hard right” vs. the popularist answer, such as closing GITMO which will cause all sort of problems down the road but sounded nice on the campaign trail. It was Bush that faced an unprecedented attack, a war, and an economy sent into an instant tail spin in 2001. There is a reason why every time Obama opens his mouth the economy sinks. They don't like what they hear.
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(IMHO)
1. Republicans should not care what Democrats say or think of them. Don't be afraid to attack them. Stand your ground. Stop eating your own, example Tom Delay, distancing oneself from Rush, etc. Rush said NOTHING wrong. Everything he said was on message and correct, and yet many are running away distancing themselves from him, why? Wimps! The Republicans really are a bunch of wimps! It is almost as if the Republicans allow themselves to be defined by the Democrats.
2. Republicans should not stray from their message nor core principals, but try harder to sell their message. Use the Internet better, target minorities, women, etc. The real reason the Democrats won the way they did is because most people vote straight ticket and because Obama was a rock star he pulled all these other Democrats with him. They were riding on his coat train. The victory was hardly as decisive or impressive as many on the left like to think, especially considering the disparity in campaign money, war, economy, uninspiring McCain, and Bush who while making good decisions was a poor public speaker and hardly any help in 2008. DO NOT move to the left in message. The leftist will vote left no matter how much a Republican panders, but you will loose your base by alienating the Evangelicals, the free market capitalists, etc. Stay on message and let the hype of the first black president fizzle while the economy falters every time he opens his mouth, he makes foreign policy blunders, etc. In one year things will look different.
3. Republicans should not fall to the level of the Democrats and play opposition politics jeopardizing national security or the best interests of our nation. DO NOT play the Democrat game where they were willing to sacrifice the mission in Iraq for example just to play politics. In 2004 during the Presidential campaign, a party that had voted for the war in 2002/03 decided to go against it because they saw this to their political advantage. From that point on, the party was almost unified in undermining the effort in Iraq with doom, gloom and quagmire speeches. Always keep the best interests of this nation in mind even when fighting the political battles and do not let what's perceived as politically advantageous trump the best interests of the nation.
“Funny thing how the Left always seems to offer the same advice to Republicans: adopt a version of the liberal program instead of presenting a genuine alternative. Actually, moderates are already beginning to have doubts about Obama, and those doubts will harden into hostility as his program fails to alleviate the economic downturn. As that happens, the conservative Republican alternative will gain support.”
Who are these conservative Republicans? I don’t see more than 2 or 3 real conservatives in the entire Republican Party. The demos have as many conservatives as do the Repubs now.
Sorry but a rino who says crap like this is NOT a conservative Republican:
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas: “I welcome President-elect Obama’s commitment to reform the federal budget process and rein in wasteful government spending.”
It's a shame that an operation run by a good conservative (at least on economic issues) like Steve Forbes employs lefties like Gerstein to write for them.
It so happens that, contrary to what Gerstein claims, the Republicans need no great novel approaches to the current political climate. Once voters take a look at their retirement plan statements and the values of their houses, or even worse, lose their jobs or businesses, their enthusiasm for O's assinine economic policies will melt as quickly as ice in the Sahara desert, and their fascination with Obama will tank accordingly.
Does this metrosexual have the same DNA as that weenie David Frum?
I absolutely agree with you.
God, I miss Ronald Reagan!
Surprised that Forbes would hire an idiot like this guy.
Worst Forbes article in years.
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas: “I welcome President-elect Obama’s commitment to reform the federal budget process and rein in wasteful government spending.”
Can't be said enough, thanks.
Who did Bush get on the Supreme Court? (You are pissing me off here Obama lover).
Didn't agree with the Medical expansion but no one is perfect including you.
I loved Bush's Dead or Alive comment in 2001. Period.
Not prepared for the banking meltdown???? You must be joking. How do you prepare for THIS?
"The $700 trillion elephant (Gargantuan derivatives market weighs on all other issues)"
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